A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 03 eBook

de Duero, who was secretary to the governor, and Amador
de Lares, the royal contador in Cuba, entered
into a private agreement with Hernando Cortes to recommend
him to Velasquez for the command of the intended expedition.
Cortes was a respectable gentleman of good birth,
a native of Medelin in Estremadura, the son of Martin
Cortes de Monroy, by Catalina Pizarro de Altamirano,
who were both hidalgos of the best families
in the province, though poor, and had acquired a considerable
property in the island of Cuba, where he had been
twice raised to the office of alcalde. He had
lately married Donna Catalina Suarez de Pacheco, the
daughter of Diego Suares de Pacheco of Merida, by
Maria de Mercaida of Biscay; through which marriage
he had experienced much trouble, having been frequently
confined by order of Velasquez. The two officers
before mentioned, who enjoyed the intimate confidence
of the governor, made an agreement with Cortes to procure
the appointment for him, for which they were to receive
an equal division of the treasure procured from the
expedition out of his share, as the commission was
intended to extend no farther than the procurement
of gold by barter, without any power of settlement
or colonization. For this purpose they took every
opportunity of praising Cortes to Velasquez, and vouching
for his fidelity, so that they at length succeeded
in procuring the appointment for him; and as it belonged
to the secretary to draw it out in due form, we may
be sure that its conditions were sufficiently favourable.

On this appointment being communicated to the public,
it gave satisfaction to some, but greatly displeased
others, who used every endeavour to communicate their
dissatisfaction to the governor, particularly by the
following device: When the governor was going
on a Sunday to mass, accompanied by the most respectable
people of the town and neighbourhood, he placed Cortes
on his right hand, on purpose to shew respect to the
person he had chosen for an expedition of such high
importance. There was at this time one Cervantes
at St Jago, a kind of buffoon, generally called mad
Cervantes, who used to assume great liberty of speech
under pretence of idiocy. This man ran before
the governor all the road to church, shouting out
many absurdities, saying among others, “Huzza
for my master Don Diego, who will soon lose his fleet,
and huzza for his new captain;” besides many
similar expressions, all having a tendency to awaken
suspicion in Velasquez. Andrew de Duero, who was
present, beat him and ordered him to be silent, but
he persisted so much the more, saying, “I will
dismiss my old master, and follow the fortune of Cortes.”
This man was certainly hired by the relations of Velasquez,
who wished the appointment for some of themselves,
that they might instil jealousy into the mind of the
governor, but all to no purpose; yet all that was now
uttered under the semblance of folly, turned out true
in the end.